


Mr. Wonderful

by Triumphant



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Domestic Violence, Don't read, M/M, Self-Loathing, Violence, graphic depictions of violence don't come till later, i guess this isn't for the faint at heart?, if abusers trigger you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-25
Updated: 2013-11-22
Packaged: 2017-12-30 12:00:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1018353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Triumphant/pseuds/Triumphant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John has been abused by Dave for a while now but when Dirk comes to the rescue, can he help patch John up and take care of the mess?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

You pant silently, and squeeze your eyes shut, pushing the pain away and holding back tears.

"You stupid dumbass." Dave hisses and without warning, kicks you square in the stomach. You let out a scream and double over, gripping your stomach as the tears finally decide to fall. "Don't you ever try to leave again, understood?" He grabs a handful of your hair and jerks it so that you're forced to meet his eyes. Your glasses are gone and the background behind Dave is blurry but his features are clear enough for you to see the fury on his face.

"Do you understand?" He scowls again, tightening his grip when you stay silent.

"Yes." You croak and he throws your head down and stands up straight again. He grips the edges of his tux and pulls it free of any previous wrinkles. "Good, now get your ass to my room and stay there."

You whimper and nod then wait for him to leave before you let out pained sobs that wrack your entire body. When they subside for a second you picked yourself up and dragged your feet down the hall and into Dave's room. Instead of laying on his bed you go to the mans walk in closet, shut the door and sink to the floor, pulling your legs close where fresh tears threatened to spill over again. Holding them in was hard and you give in eventually, wondering where everything had gone so wrong.

When you'd first started going out, Dave was the sweetest thing, text-book romantic and spiced up with ironic antics and a cool aura. He was truly Mr. Wonderful.

Yet, at first you weren't really blown away but he somehow weaseled his way into your heart and you were soon found everywhere with the famous director. He took you on many dates, treated you to everything. The media ate the entire thing up like a starving child that had gone weeks without food and when the excitement died down, they were soon forgotten.

That was about the time that Dave asked you to move in with him. Of course your dad felt compelled to check Dave out himself and when he came across suspicious behavior and tried telling you, you brushed his worries aside and went along with Dave. A couple days later you moved in with Dave, on the top floor of a condominium Dave so happened to own.

In the time that you spent with him, you noticed his slight change in behavior when you moved in and then 2 weeks after living with him he suddenly lost it and hit you. It was over something stupid which frightened you but he immediately apologized and caressed you and told you he loved you. You forgave him and things turned to normal until a few days later he had another episode.

This dragged on and on and you kept forgiving him. Soon you stopped leaving the building because bruises were becoming prominent and disgusting and it was almost as embarrassing as your love for Dave that you still had.

Then one day you delicately brought up that you wanted to see dad. He almost flipped out instantly, grabbing you by the wrist and commanded you never leave.

Out of fear you agreed and you went to bed with his arms circled around you, pulled up flush against him in a secure manner, as if he was afraid you'd leave. You resolved to call dad in the morning and ask him for help before falling asleep.

When you woke up the next morning, however, any mobile device you had was gone. Dave being gone at work, you took this chance to try and contact your dad over the internet, only to find it locked, password protected. That was when you tried to leave the premises only to find any and all doors locked manually. You puzzled over this and when that grew into frustration you burst into tears, finally letting everything out.

You'd became Dave's prisoner.

You felt helpless, and just as afraid. Afraid Dave would kill you one day. His fits seemed to be getting more violent as of late, dragging out longer. The physical abuse was bad but the verbal abuse was even worse. Ranging from calling you names to screaming that no one loved you, that no one would forgive you for walking out on them. Over and over he threatened you and the previous months with him, the words sunk in, taking affect.

Now you felt worthless, and only wanted to die. Sometimes you pleaded him to kill you, sometimes you stayed silent and took the beatings. Only at the end of the day did you allow everything to catch up to you and release it all, weeping in the dark corners of your prison.

You just wanted to get away from it all, if only you felt you could.


	2. Chapter 2

You were being shook awake and almost had a panic attack at the thought of Dave being home early. Sitting up and snatching your glasses off the stand beside you, you were face-to-face with someone with pointed shades and blonde hair slicked back.

"John, hey man." He whispered.

Your breathing picks up instantly in fright and you scoot away from the stranger.

The stranger freezes and you take this chance to try and scramble out of the bed, away from him. "No! No! It's me, Dirk! Dave's brother! Hey, I'm not gonna-" He catches your wrist and you flinch, but it isn't as rough as Dave's. You're forced to face the man, someone you rarely knew, someone Dave barely spoke of.

"What are you doing here?" You gasp out, weakly trying to get out of his grip.

"Listen I know what's been going on, and I can help you! Please, just-relax." When you do, he releases you and you take your hand back, holding it close to your chest.

"H-how do you know?" You ask, not looking up at him. You can feel his gaze on you, probably getting a good look at the bruises that peppered you body.

"Your dad."

That caught your attention and you look up in shock. "W-what, he-"

"I don't have time to explain, just know everyone's worried about you." He started for the door. "C'mon, I'm gonna get you outta here and somewhere safe-"

"N-no! He'll kill me! Dirk I-I can't." You can't help the tears that come and he's at your side, taking you into an embrace. At first you flinch away from the touch but when the feeling of immediate danger disappears, you relax into the touch. It feels nice, almost welcoming, compared to Dave's harsh actions.

"I promised your dad I'd get you out of here and I'm not breaking that promise, but we need to go _now_." He put urgency into the last word that made you want to question it but the time felt wrong.

Relief washed over you though, a release of some sort. Your dad. Was he really worried about you? You hoped to god he was..

"A-alright." You whisper and let him help you dress into something appropriate before grasping your hand and pulling you towards the door.

You don't dwindle at all and soon you're both on the first floor, leaving the building. You can't help but look back until Dirk pulls your attention away again.

"I half-expected us to run into some of Dave's goonies, but thank fuck that didn't happen." Dirk mumbles as he ushers you into a slick orange mustang.

You try to adjust to the cold leather seat as you buckle up. "Goonies?" You murmur in question when Dirk slides into the driver side.

In one fluid motion he's start his car, and they're speeding away. Out of eye-sight of the building Dirk tilts his head up a bit to address you. "Yeah, in the time that I've lived with him, he's had a few sleaze bags doing deeds for him."

You don't want to know what those deeds were and instead shift to look out the window. Quietly, you say, "thank you, Dirk..."

"... Hey, it's nothing."

But it felt so much more to you. You had trouble believing any of this was happening... That he'd helped you escape.

But what now?


	3. Chapter 3

The further you get out of Hollywood, the better you feel but you're still shaking like a leaf. Part of it's from your anxiety and part of it's from anticipation. Anticipation concerning your dad and anxiety obviously from the fear of Dave finding you and oh holy hell he's got friends in high places, he _will_ find you!

Dirk seems to notice your state and slows down a bit so he can pay more attention. "John?"

You start hyperventilating, oh god you can't do this. "Let me out."

"What?"

"Let me out, now, Dirk. I need to go back." Your voice cracks. You whip around to face him, a pleading look evident. "Please, Dirk! He knows people, you know that! He'll find me-"

"Hey, no listen. I won't let him lay another finger on you! He may know a few douches but I'm experienced in combat and i have a trigger happy moron living with me, plus your dad will be there and I'm betting my life that he'll kill Dave before he ever gets his hands on you again." You're wringing your hands now and shaking violently. "Calm, down, hey it's gonna be alright." He pulls the car to the side of the road and turns to you, unsure of what he could do. "Everything'll change from here on out, you don't have to be afraid-"

"Stop-" you pause to take a deep breath when you realize your voice shakes, "stop saying that, I-I have e-every right to be afraid. It's Dave for Christs sake." Your voice does that higher pitch thing and on top of shaking you start to cry again. God you feel pathetic, why was this stranger even helping you at all. You'd never even gotten to know Dirk, Dave had him over once and it was a short visit at that.

He does the hugging (it felt a bit like forced contact out of awkwardness) thing and you flinch just like last time. The difference this time was that you weren't in any close danger. At least you hoped.

So you force yourself to relax into the touch and fist your hands in his shirt. You were soaking his shoulder with tears with all the worthlessness you felt but at that point you didn't care. All the while, Dirk whispers calming words.

You almost squeak when his phone goes off in the dead silence.

"Shit, sorry." He pulls away and opens the cockpit between you two. Sliding his finger across it's surface, he pulls the phone to his ear. "Yea'? Yup, I got him." A pause. "I didn't exactly _have_ the time to call you! We literally just left Hollywood, and before that we-" His sentence cuts off as he listens. "Yeah, put his dad on and I'll give John the cell."

That anticipation from before is coming back full force and when he hands his cell over, you're gripping it tightly in your small hands.

You listen and then, "Dad?" You whisper into the phone.

"Son. You don't kn-"

As soon as you hear his voice you let leash a string of apologies with even fresher tears now. You can count everything wrong you did and you do until he cuts you off, sounding as stern as always. You wait for a lecture, because you know you deserve nothing less then a good scolding.

Instead, he surprises you with how gentle he speaks. "John, you have no reason to be sorry." Your dad pauses then continues. "You didn't know he was like this." His reply sounds angry, twisted almost in turmoil. "Everything'll be alright now."

That's the second time you've heard that and yet, as much as you want to believe it, you still feel a wave of doubt. You don't mention your darker thoughts to him and let his calming words wrap you in a cocoon of love you've missed so much.

By now Dirk has started driving again, letting you and your father converse. You silently thanked him for it.

An hour has gone by and your dad still hasn't ended the call, choosing to talk to you about random things, to keep your mind off other stuff. You don't remember him talking this much but then, you haven't heard from him in a while.

It's a while before Dirk stops and turns down a long stretch of a dirt road that goes to the mouth of a forest, mountains surrounding the area.

"The signals going to be a bit odd here so you might want to end the call before the mountains do." Dirk advises.

You nod and as much as it pains you, you end the call with dad and lay the phone gently in a cup holder.

"We're almost there though, about 15 minutes in an' you'll be seeing your dad again." He reassures you. This news puts a small smile on your face. You wonder how much he's changed since you last saw him. Probably not much to be honest, you've only been out of his life for nearly 3 years now. You choke back an involuntary sob and grip your knees with white knuckles.

That's when you notice you still wore your wedding ring, a silver band worn from wear for the past two years. Well not really a wedding ring, because you and Dave never got married. But he considered it that and told you to never take it off. When you did he got mad so you just left it on.

Now, however, you could rip it off and throw it to the ground like it never meant a thing to you, if you wanted. You brought your hand close and ripped the ring off then stared at it in your palm. He'd gotten it as a small promise of "what was to come", back when you two hadn't been fighting as much.

Rolling down your window you turned to throw it out but... you couldn't. Sinking back into your seat, you pull your hand that encased the ring, close to your heart and squeezed your eyes shut.

It reminded you of a time when Dave hadn't been so cruel, even if it was a little tainted.

You knew Dirk was watching you but, you didn't care.

You missed Dave.


	4. Chapter 4

Hands in lap, you wait patiently. That is, until Dirk speaks. "It's a cabin."

You look up in question.

"Where Jake and I live, it's a glorified cabin. Belongs to Jake in fact. He let me move in to get away from Dave."

"G-get away?"

"Yea," Dirk shifted in his seat, glancing out the window at the enormous trees that surrounded them, lit up by the nights moon. "He beat me too."

That was hardly what you expected from the guy. Although you felt for him you also felt relief. Relief that he understood what Dave was like, what he could do.

"He never hit me as much as you though. Public appearances was his main priority and being in control was his stickler. As soon as I could, I got away. I was 18 then and, as stupid as it sounds, frightened Dave would find me." You brow furrowed as your heart went out to him. "It was a load of bullshit though, him being able to find me. I never told him about Jake and up until my leave did I only know Jake over random chat rooms. We kept a low profile and when he suggested I get out, I took the chance. It landed me here," He nodded to something in front of him and you turn as well.

Listening to him, you never noticed the large cabin you now sat in front of. A large porch scaled the entire front of it, with windows, many windows. They peppered the entire house, some large some small and light streamed through them dampening the darkness. And the entire cabin itself was large, larger then you initially thought.

Both of you step out of the car just as the front door slams open. It's none other then your dad and you don't dare take a step towards him, your hands shaking at your side. All you want to do is run to him and hug him, you've missed him so much. But you don't, you feel you don't deserve it.

He's the first the move and doesn't hesitate to rush over and grab you into a bone-crushing hug. You wait in silence until you hear him crying.

"Dad?" You croak out as he pulls away, sniffling. He drags a hand up and wipes his mouth as he looks you over, stopping too take in each bruise on your face.

"God damn." He chokes and takes your face in his hands, gently. That's when you decide you can't hold int he tears anymore. "He really did a number on you, didn't he." He drags you back into a hug.

"I've missed you so much." You manage with every breath you can while weeping.

He rubs your back softly, whispering, "I know, I know. C'mon let's get you inside, it's a bit nippy out here." He has no trouble leading you up to the house and through the door. Without even realizing it, he had you sitting on a couch in front of a blazing fire place.

You sit silently, starring at your lap again when a blanket is thrown over you and a cup of something hot is handed to you. You vaguely recall the strong scent and lift it up to smell it. Hot chocolate, as predicted. Dad would make it for you all the time even in the summer. The stuff was too good to pass up but now, it felt sickening. You really weren't feeling up to it, afraid your stomach will reject the liquid.

Slowly you set it aside when voices start from somewhere aways. Sounds like Dirk and another voice you don't recognize.

"Yeah, I know."

"Then?"

Your dad takes you into another hug, but you still perk up to listen to Dirk and the stranger who you can only assume is Jake.

There was a faint hint of annoyance in Dirks tone. "Look, I didn't have all the time in the world, as soon as i hacked it, i only had 5 minutes before it would alert... him."

"You never said anything about it alerting him!"

You inch around dads embrace to see Dirk standing in what looked like a kitchen, his arm hooked in his jeans with the other rubbed his temple. "Well i didn't realize that until I got in! I wasn't going to stop and have idle chit chat, what kinda shitty person would do that? I needed to get him out as soon as possible before Dave showed up."

"You still should have called earlier, Strider."

"Dave knows?" You whisper. Dirk turns to face you, his lips compressed in a thin line. Dad pulls back and you just now notice how tired he looks, the bags under his eyes. They rake your face before shifting them to Dirk.

"He... Yeah, he knows." Dirk sighs and you tense. "As soon as I hacked into his security system, it started a count down of five minutes. I hightailed it up a floor and got you out. By then he must have been notified."

Your breath hitches and you squeak. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Dirk gestured to you as if it explained everything. "You would have started panicking, I couldn't have a panicked passenger while getting away. It was best to keep quiet and get you out."

Dad's comforting you again, taking your hands in his. "He won't hurt you again," he assured you, "I won't let him."

Your eyes sink to the floor and the silence is welcomed.

So Dave knew someone hacked and broke in then. And Dirk managed to break you out before he showed up. While that in itself is a magnificent feet, you still felt a bit on edge. Was he sending people out to find you already? Were you really safe?

You avoided any and all contact until your dad decides it's time for you too get some rest. He leads you to a guest room and like when you were a kid, tucks you in. You don't mind, in fact it was comforting. Then he says good night and leaves you to your thoughts.

You roll over onto your side, facing the wall and try to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

You don't sleep well. Your dreams are twisted with shadows and riddled with hands that never leave your throat. You feel like you're drowning until you're shook awake, light blinding you as it suddenly turns on.

"John!" You know you're crying again but you don't care, you grasp the person closest to you and cling for dear life. Dirks voice is next to your ear. "John, it was just a dream, hey man-"

"He was coming after me, please don't, don't let him find me!" You've buried your face in his shirt and start hiccupping.

There's a pause, then, "I swear on my life."

The same foreign voice from earlier speaks up. "Maybe someone should stay with him for the night.."

"Yes, I-"

Dirk volunteers before your dad can get out another word.

"Mr. Strider, I don't think-"

"Hush, Egbert, I'm well accustomed to staying up for hours on end. I got this. Go get your beauty sleep."

You feel humiliated at this point, crying like a child and all this attention is putting you on edge a bit. Your dad lands a kiss on your head and rubs your back for a second before wishing you a better nights rest.

Dirk eases your hands from his shirt and stands up.

"Where are you going?" You murmur.

Dirk gives you a smile, "I'm just going to grab my lap top and a blanket."

You nod and once he's left the room you lay back down slowly and drag the blankets up to your chin and then some.

You finally take in the area around you and only notice a window seat, that's cushioned with leather. It didn't look inviting if you were being honest. You hoped that wasn't what Dirk planned on laying on for the night.

He proves you wrong when he drags a rather large comforter to it and spreads it out. When he shuts the door gently and flips the over-head light off, the room is drowned in darkness except for the moon light that's streaming in through the window.

Dirk makes his way back and wraps himself up in his blanket before hopping to sit.  
Your mouth opens and closes with words you want to say to him, maybe a big thank you was in order? but you couldn't do it. Your hands gripped your bed cover and twisted before you whispered a good night and rolled back over.

His computer light glows and it's reassuring in some way and soon exhaustion takes over and you're out again.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This time waking up, you're greeted with the scent of food; you're dad must be cooking up something big. You sit up slowly and rub your eyes, you still felt incredibly exhausted and contemplated going back to sleep and never waking up when someone walks passed your open door then stops and walks back.

He enters with a large grin and holds out a hand. "Ah, it's finally nice to meet you chum, the names Jake English." You take his hand gingerly and aren't surprised when it's a strong grip. Pulling back too quickly you nod.

"Hey guys, he's awake." Jake shouted over his shoulder, making you flinch a bit. This Jake has the loudest voice you've ever heard, boisterous and cheery.

"Your dad'll be up in a minute with food, don't worry."

"I uh," your voice cracks and you rub it with a grimace. "I'm not really..." You pause in thought. You can't exactly tell them you're not hungry, that'd seem ungrateful. You swallow your words and look at your lap.

"Something wrong?" Jake asks.

You shake your head and don't notice the frown that settles on Jakes face. When dad walks in holding a tray of-too much-food, you take a deep breath and smile for him. He greets you with his own and sits at the edge of your bed. Dirk soon follows in with a plate of cinnamon rolls covered in chocolate as well as one in his mouth. You would laugh if the smell wasn't making you nauseous.

"Good morning, son. How'd you sleep?"

"Just fine, thanks." You lie and watch your dads face soften into something close to relief.

"Just saying but Egbert wouldn't let us eat until you were fed first." Dirk comments from across the room as he stuffs his face. The sight was making you a bit sick and you look away.

"It's rude." Dad retorts sounding a bit exasperated.

"No, what's rude is making all this food and then saying nobodies allowed to eat it yet. Now that's rude."

"Dirk." Jake says his name in a reprimanding tone.

Your dad rolls his eyes. "Alright son, dig in." He sets the tray over your lap. "We need to talk."

"Talk?" You mumbled as you pick up your fork and cut at your waffles. You were dreading the first bite so you cut slowly.

"Well, what we're going to from here on out. I didn't want to bring it up last night."

You pause before sticking the piece of food in and look at everyone. "I... don't know."

"I want you to come back home with me, what do you think about-"

"Whoa, hold on there Egbert." Dirk steps closer. "You can't take him home."

"Why not?" Jake tilts his head to give Dirk a questionable look.

Stepping even closer, Dirk addresses your dad. "Well first off, Dave knows where you live. It won't take him long to kidnap John and then will we be?"

The thought makes your heart race and you find yourself having trouble swallowing your food. Well, even more so then before.

"And second," he continues, "I think staying here will be good for him. It's out in the open, he can go for walks, with supervision of course, and won't have to worry about other people. Besides, Dave doesn't know this place exists."

You look back to your dad and notice he looks troubled.

"I... I just got my son back Dirk, I don't want to let him go again."

"You're not letting him go, in fact you're helping. It's tough letting go of someone you love," he pauses, "but sometimes you have to. You can come back and visit as often as you like, ya know."

"Alright, fine." He answers back gruffly, after a couple seconds of thought.

"Where you'll be staying aside," Jake cut in, "I think we need to get him professional help."

"A doctor?" you croak. You hated the idea, professionals keep files and that's definitely one way Dave could find you.

"Even better," Dirk chimes, "a shrink. She helped me when I got away from Dave and she can help you. You both just need to work together, this won't be an easy process."

Now, that sounded reassuring. You unclench your hands and start eating again.

"Her name's Rose Lalonde and she works with battered women mostly, at a crisis center."

"Battered women?" Your eyebrows knit in confusion.

Jakes voice cuts in again. "Ladies subjected to rounds of fisti-cuffs, and not willingly either. But don't fret, the same principles apply for both genders and Miss Lalonde is well advanced in her profession."

You aren't sure you understand the concept but you nod anyways.

Your dad speaks up again, sounding happy that things were finally getting straightened out. "So it's settled, John will be seeing a private therapist. Mr. Strider, would you mind contacting this as soon as possible?"

Dirk held up a hand, "Already messaged her, she'll be here in a few days and then staying a couple months."

Decisions made, everyone seemed to fall into their own thoughts again. You find yourself wish they would keep talking, being left alone with your own thoughts made you feel lost and depressed.

Then, quietly your dad speaks. "How's your breakfast, son?"

You glance down at it and suppress a frown. It would be a grand breakfast fit for a king if you didn't feel like you were going to puke it back up at any second.

Trying-and failing-to look up at your dad you answer back, "i-it's great, yeah, thanks dad." You hold back the need to grasp your stomach and sit up a little straighter. The feeling was becoming a bit much, you felt sick. "May I use the bathroom?"

"Yes, yes of course." you dad stood up and taking your hand, helped you out. You brush off his worrisome action and then he points you down the hall and to the bathroom.

Once in the confines of privacy you lock the door, rush to the toilet, lift it up and drop as you let the feeling take over. Heaving up food was probably worse then dry heaving you sadly realize. The vile feeling was terrible and left you feeling even worse. You're ashamed you couldn't keep the food down and start weeping, your face buried in the toilet.

God, you felt even more pathetic.

You hear your dad on the other side of the door but you ignore him, as the door knob starts to rattle. You didn't want him to see you like this, not now, not ever.

The soft click of a door jars you to attention.


	6. Chapter 6

You jerk your head to the bathroom door as it opens. To your surprise it's Dirk. He steps more into the room and slides the door closed as soon as he's in, and steps towards you as if afraid you might run. You wanted too, you felt that flight instinct kicking in, making your stomach flip. "John, your dad's-"

You cut him off as you find yourself lurching back into the toilet and puking. You stay like that, just wanting to drop off the face of the earth. He must think just as bad of you as you do, if not worse. Your hands grip the porcelain seat tightly, the overwhelming need to cry taking over again.

The silence is screwing with you and making you feel even more on edge. But then, you hear water running. You sneak a look to see what Dirks doing but you can't see past him. Then, "Egbert, he's fine. Just hold on," his voiced raised only so much so that your dad stopped his pestering.

"Dirk?" You murmur and for a second you think he didn't hear, until he turns around with a couple wash rags and comes over.

"C'mere, lean in so i can clean you up." You obey silently and scoot towards him. You stiffen at his touch as he gently lifts your face up by your chin and wipes it clean. Then proceeds to dry it. You blink back tears that threaten to spring again and look down when he's done.

"John," the voice begged for your attention, "John, answer me honestly." You sigh and finally look up and to your utter surprise, his shades are gone and you're looking into the most piercing amber eyes you've ever seen. "You don't harm yourself, do you?"

"H-harm myself?" You look away again, this time in thought. The thought had crossed your mind but you never acted on it. You don't think you could. "No."

"Are you lying?"

You meet his eyes again. "No." You confirm and he seems to relax at this, letting out his own deep breath.

"That's good to hear now c'mon, your dad's spazzing." He offers his hand and you take it thankfully. Standing up too fast, you found yourself dizzy as hell and you grasp your head, forcing the oncoming headache away as much as possible.

When faced with your dad again, he wastes no time in taking you into another hug. So many hugs lately, but you don't think you'd ever get sick of them. You missed him so much.

"Egbert, you'll have to cut back on the food." Dirk says over his shoulder as he walks back into the bathroom, presumably to clean up _your_ mess. Ugh.

You turn into your dads shoulder and breath in his calming cologne, the same exact stuff he wore before this fiasco. "Why?" Your dad sounds confused as hell.

"Make smaller portions next time, he wasn't fed right while staying with _him_."

Your dad sputters, sounding angry. "No wonder your so-God damn it." You've never heard your dad curse but you're too tired to mention it.

When you pull away a sudden and alarming thought crosses your mind; where's your ring.  
You know you had it when you went to sleep, it never left your hand. You must have lost it in the covers of your bed when you had your nightmare.

You're itching to race back to your room and search for it but that would surely require an explanation, what with your dad being everywhere and all. You have a sneaking suspicion your dad wouldn't understand what the object means to you and you don't feel like explaining.

Instead you try something else, "Can I go back to sleep?"

"Not till you get a shower." Your dad answers almost instantly. "It'll do you good. Jake," You hadn't even noticed the guy standing off to the side, "could you go get the set of clothes off my dresser?"

"Sure thing." Jake sprints off as Dad leads you back into the bathroom to show you where everything is. You barely pay attention and when he asks if you got all of it, you nod,  
feeling guilty.

Dirk throws you a look as he puts his shades back on and leaves with your dad.

Finally left alone again, you let your shoulders drop as well as the smile you had on for your dad. The progress for your shower was slow and your muscles felt sore and stiff but you didn't complain. You can't say the shower wasn't mentally stress-free either since you were faced with washing yourself and even then you still felt filthy at the end of it all.

Stepping out of the shower, you let the steam filter out. Your eyes fall on a towel that was placed on the counter beside your clothes, just a normal set of jeans, a t-shirt, boxers and a pair of socks. Reaching for them, your eyes drift to your reflection and rest on bruises that peppered your body. Colors ranging from blue to a nasty yellow.

You close your eyes and try to breathe but, you end up turning away so you don't have to look at yourself. Slipping the clothes on, you feel better, being out of those old drags and into something more comforting. Though you wish your dad would have had something with long sleeves instead.

Exiting you find the hallway empty and you take your chance and sort of do a half-walk half-jog back to your room. It's empty much to your delight but to your complete horror, your bed's been made. Wasting no time you tear your bed apart and when you can't find it, you look under the bed and around the area on the floor. Nowhere, it's gone.

You stand up slowly, your eyes scanning the area slowly. One side of your mind screams that it's just a ring, a ring your boyfriend-abuser gave you. The other half is whispering a point that feels emotionally stronger. It's the only connection you have to Dave, when he smiled, when he was... nice.

Memories of Dave smiling flashed through your mind and you purse your lips.  
Maybe Dad saw it and picked it up? Maybe you could-no, you can't ask him, he'll probably question you about it. He wouldn't understand this strong need to have it near.

Resolving to find it yourself-even if it meant sneaking-you wring your hands together and crawl into your again messy bed. Pulling the covers up to your chin, you turn on your side and watch as Dirk walks in, his arms crossed.

"Sup."

You really weren't in the mood to speak and like a child you roll away from him, mumbling, "hey."

"I just want it to be clear that you can talk to me about anything, cool?"

You stare at the wall in front of you as you contemplate the proposition.

You knew Dirk had been through the same-well almost the same-as you and knew how Dave could get, how mean he could be. So why did you feel like you couldn't talk about this? Why was it so hard to just say what you felt, that you hated Dave for what he did? That what he did to you left you feeling broken and alone?

You choke back a sob and pull the covers tighter around you, feeling emotionally exhausted. "Ok." You sniff.

"Ok." A soft confirmation that sounded like he was just rejected. You purse your lips and grip the blanket harder. You didn't mean to sound ungrateful, really! This was just difficult, too difficult to deal with.

The soft click of the door being closed left you in the dark again and without even trying you're out again. You never planned to actually take a nap but it was welcoming and you just go with it.


	7. Chapter 7

The next few nights are still filled with nightmares which Dirk accompanies you on. The second night though, you must have been terrified out of your wits because you wake up to Dirk holding his face and hissing. You attacked him while he was trying to wake you up. Dirk joked about having to hold a pillow up as a shield next time. You weren't laughing, not while you noticed the red mark just below his cheekbones.

Other then your dark nights, your dad's blustering around, catering to your every whim. As upsetting as it is to be waited on (you aren't weak...) you know it makes your dad happy. Even when you catch him staring at your slowly fading bruises. You make every attempt to cover them up when you can though, even if it meant dragging a blanket around with you wherever you went.

With Dirks warning, your dad does cut back on the food, something you're thankful for because eating even half a plate made you sick. Sometimes you don't get that far but they don't pressure you. Your dad just takes the plate away quietly, comes back and you talk with each other.

Dirk and Jake worm into your _busy_ schedule and keep your mind at ease, almost as easy as your dad can. Jake had no trouble skirting the basics about guns and his adventures he goes on when he's away. He even offered to give you marksmanship lessons, and after declining a few times, you finally agree, to make him happy. Lessons start when you're feeling a little better. You're not really looking forward to it but you keep in mind that it might be useful in the future.

Taking his pushy side out of the equation you feel like you and Jake still click. He's rekindled your love for movies by setting down with you and watching some of your old but still favorite ones. Although he finds some a bit chick-flicky, he does enjoy National Treasure to which you have no qualms with. Nic looks great in that movie, you don't recall how you ever stopped liking him.

Dirk on the other hand talks about his mechanics and showing you things he's invented. He occasionally slips into a rambling about a new project he's working on, and you have to admit, it sounds exciting but when you ask he denies anything, like he hadn't realized he was even talking about it and you're forced to listen to more about html coding and his "stupid 18 year old" responding unit shades. You ask him if he uses them anymore and he laughs like the idea is absurd. He has a nice laugh, you note unconsciously, sort of deep but still has a nice ring to it.

He explains that no, he actually hates the device because it was programmed when he was a "depressed little shit" and head over heels for a guy. You want to ask who but at the same time it sounds like a bad idea. You don't act on it and instead let him ramble.

When you're talking with Dirk, you sometimes forget they're brothers but only because you notice he isn't like Dave on a lot of accounts. Where Dave was open, obscene and forthcoming, Dirk seemed a bit of a loner, sticking to his room mostly and only coming out to check on you and eat your dads meals. The most you've learned about Dirk is that he's a love for technology and you too can strike up a conversation on the new devices that have come out recently, due to your lack of... knowledge.

As to your ring, you haven't had time to search for it, between your dad and everyone else, you haven't been able to get away and when you are finally free, it's when you're nearly falling asleep as you walk towards your room. You were getting restless as time ticked until you finally can't take it and confront your dad.

"What are you talking about?" And you can tell that he really doesn't know. Growing up with the man, you had to learn to tell when he was being a tricky devil and when he was being honest abe. It's plain as day he doesn't know a thing.

You look at your lap, feeling dejected at this resolve. "M-my ring, i went to bed with it when I first got here. It's gone, I can't find it."

"I haven't seen a ring, I'm sorry. Have you thought to ask Mr. English or Strider?" You dad offers after a minute.

Your eyes drift up in recognition at that. You hadn't thought about either of them finding the ring. Could Jake or Dirk have found it? It certainly was a possibility now that you thought about it... You look down, your eyebrows furrowing as a frown sets on your face. "Oh, no I haven't. Thanks dad."

"Sure thing, son." He ruffles your hair and leaves to make dinner.

You're left alone to ponder your new selection of suspects. It was down to two people and as far as you knew Jake doesn't even know you have a ring. So that left Dirk for questioning. Already your thinking of ways to inquire about it, of why he has it.

_Might_ have it, you're getting ahead of yourself here...

Guh, you're too on edge for this shit. You just want your ring back, not to run around, feeling like your heads been cut off. You let out a frustrated cry and squeeze your pillow in your arms.

A knock on your door has you looking up, and speak of the devil. "You okay?"

You take a second to decide that no, you're not. You voice this and Dirk catches the vehement edge to your reply, at which, he frowns.

"What's bothering you?" Stepping forward he grabs your desk chair and pulls it so he's sitting by you.

You stare at him, trying to find a way to word your question but it seems stuck in your throat.

"C'mon John, nobody can help if your always quiet about-"

"My ring." You blurt accidentally. pushed to it really.

Dirk looks taken aback and his frown deepens.

"Where is-" you pause and take a deep breath. Paranoia has reared it's ugly head far to early. "Do you know where my ring is at?"

He leans back into his chair and rubs his jaw, as if it's something he needs to think about before answering. You get agitated with waiting and throw your pillow at him. To your disappointment he catches it before it can assault his face.

"I want it back, give it to me." You demand and watch his eyebrows raise, in shock.

"Why?"

You were dreading that question but it only made you mad that he would ask it.

"It's mine!" You're on the verge of tears now your hand outstretched.

You stare at each other for a minute before he nods silently, gets up and leaves. Your assumption that he was going to get it is correct and slowly he's handing it back.

"I just want to say I thought I was helping..." Dirk starts and rubs the back of his neck.

"Helping?" You grumble as you hold the ring close, unable to meet Dirks gaze now.

"I thought-I mean I knew Dave gave it to you. It's kind of obvious. And I thought maybe if it wasn't around you'd-"

"It doesn't matter what you say or think." You snap only to feel guilty right after. Dirk compresses his lips and stares at you and you crumble under the weight of it. "I'm sorry Dirk, I didn't mean-"

He holds a hand up and turns away a little. "Don't, I know what you meant. You should probably take a nap before dinner." He replies stiffly, grabs your pillow and hands it back.

You hold it lightly in your lap as you watch him leave, regret washing over you.

Great, you screwed things up with Dirk now. Way to fucking go. Your shoulders droop as you sigh. You know you could have handled that better and it's eating at you now.


	8. Chapter 8

Dinner was longer than usual, having to sit across from Dirk and avoiding all eye contact with him. It wasn't hard considering his shades and how he seemed to stare down at his food the entire time. You still felt the need to apologize but also get out as soon as you could, your stomach upset a lot more.

Jake seemed to catch onto the stiff atmosphere as soon as he stepped into the dining room. But your dad, your dads still oblivious. And when you finish dinner, he asks you to stay for a second, to discuss some things.

You slowly sit back down as he continues. "Mr. Strider," Dirk cuts in with his name, sounding annoyed, "has informed me that Ms. Lalonde will be here tomorrow morning, so I expect everyone to be up early and dressed, that includes you John." He's trying to make a funny but nobody's laughing, probably because of the vibes Dirk's setting off, or you. Probably you.

"Alright, dad." You finger your silverware before looking at him again. "May I be excused now?"

He waves his hand and you immediately take your dish to the sink, wash it and leave for your bedroom. You wonder if Dirk will sleep in your room again tonight. As your dad wishes you a good nights rest, you tuck yourself in and roll towards the wall.

Curling in on yourself, you try to stay up, waiting to see if Dirk'll come but it's an impossible feet when your eyelids feel as heavy as a brick and you're drained emotionally. So instead, you fall into a restless sleep.

It's not long before you're waking up, screaming, crying, sweating and feeling more miserable then when you went to sleep. But you're greeted with light as well as a familiar face.

"D-Dirk?"

He's turned on your bedside lamp and is sitting close, his hands finding your shoulders as he shushes you. In your confusion you still notice how calm he seems, how... not upset he is, as he should be.

"You're alright, just listen to my voice." He's pulled you close again, like the first night. The only difference is now you're pleading for his forgiveness.

He seems to pause above you then holds you tighter, his chin resting on top of your head. "Hey listen, I'm not mad at you. I had no right taking that ring. This was none of your fault."

Speaking of the ring, you can feel it bite into your skin as you clutch his shirt. And suddenly you're apologizing for everything. For not being able to talk, for burdening everyone, for being a stupid useless piece of garbage. You don't understand how they can put up with you when you can't even put up with yourself.

But Dirk's still sticking close, still holding you for dear life, shushing you and cooing soft words.

You don't know how long you've cried but it felt like forever. You can feel the tears dying down though, your face feeling tight and your eyes hurting. Closing them only proved that you had more coming then red eyes; a migraine.

"My head hurts." You shakily say.

"Let me get something for that." He mumbles and is off.

You think you hear voices but straining to hear hurts your brain so you shut off all sound and lay down. Coming back, he helps you swallow your pill then tucks you in again.

"Are you going back to your room?" You ask, your voice feeling a little hoarse from all the crying.

"... Do you want me too?"

"I... Would you like too?"

" _John._ "

"Dirk."

He huffs and then you're being pushed towards the wall. "Better scoot over then, I'm not sleeping on that uncomfortable as fuck window seat again, like before." He grumbles and gets under the covers.

You're not sure how you feel about sharing the bed with him, maybe a little nervous and paranoid but you don't say anything and turn away from him, bringing the comforter up to your chin.

"Do you like burning up in these things? That headache won't go away if you're covered up like that." Dirk snorts and with a flick of his wrist, the touch lamp is turned out and you're both plunged into darkness again.

You make no comment to his remark and opt to bring the comforter closer, blocking out everything except the heat. Dirk stays silent as you both get comfortable. well as comfortable as two men sharing the same bed, could.

As expected, Dirk keeps his distance in the bed and you feel bad because he's nearly off the edge. He never says anything though so you let it be and drift off again. This time, feeling more secure and something akin to feeling happy.


End file.
